In light of the United Nations Security Council resolution regarding the
roadmap, Israel would like to
reiterate the following: The Government of Israel accepted the roadmap
along with 14 clarifications that it decided upon
and this is the one and only diplomatic plan that Israel is prepared to
carry out.

The peace plan known as "the roadmap", as accepted by Israel, can be
carried out only through negotiations and agreements between Israel and
the Palestinians. Judging in relation to the plan's implementation will
be in the hands of the United States. Israel will not accept any other
intervention in implementing the plan.

The State of Israel is committed to the roadmap and expects and hopes that
the Palestinians will begin to carry out their commitments, including the
cessation of terror, dismantling the terrorist organizations and carrying
out a full reform of the Palestinian administration, thus making it
possible to reach a settlement that will lead to quiet and peace for both
Israel and the Palestinians.

The Government of Israel affirms the Prime Minister's
announcement, and resolves that all of Israel's comments, as
addressed in the Administration's statement, will be
implemented in full during the implementation phase of the
Roadmap.

A list of the comments forwarded by Israel for the review of the
Administration in the United States has been attached to this
decision.

B. The Government also resolved, concerning the issue of the
refugees, as follows:

The Government of Israel today accepted the steps set out in
the Roadmap. The Government of Israel expresses its hope
that the political process that will commence, in accordance
with the 24 June 2002 speech of President Bush, will bring
security, peace and reconciliation between Israel and the
Palestinians.

The Government of Israel further clarifies that, both during and
subsequent to the political process, the resolution of the issue
of the refugees will not include their entry into or settlement
within the State of Israel.

"In view of the recent statement of the US regarding the Israeli
comments on the Roadmap, which shares the view of the
Government of Israel that these are real concerns and in view
of the US promise to address those concerns fully and
seriously in the implementation of the Roadmap to fulfill the
President's vision of June 24, 2002, we are prepared to
accept the steps set out in the Roadmap. I intend to submit this
acceptance to the Government of Israel's approval."

The Palestinian economy must be allowed to develop. As violence subsides, freedom of movement should be restored, permitting
innocent Palestinians to resume work and normal life. Palestinian legislators and officials, humanitarian and international workers,
must be allowed to go about the business of building a better future. And Israel should release frozen Palestinian revenues into
honest, accountable hands.

I've asked Secretary Powell to work intensively with Middle Eastern and international leaders to realize the vision of a Palestinian
state, focusing them on a comprehensive plan to support Palestinian reform and institution-building.

Ultimately, Israelis and Palestinians must address the core issues that divide them if there is to be a real peace, resolving all claims
and ending the conflict between them. This means that the Israeli occupation that began in 1967 will be ended through a settlement
negotiated between the parties, based on U.N. Resolutions 242 and 338, with Israeli withdrawal to secure and recognize borders.

We must also resolve questions concerning Jerusalem, the plight and future of Palestinian refugees, and a final peace between
Israel and Lebanon, and Israel and a Syria that supports peace and fights terror.

All who are familiar with the history of the Middle East realize that there may be setbacks in this process. Trained and determined
killers, as we have seen, want to stop it. Yet the Egyptian and Jordanian peace treaties with Israel remind us that with determined
and responsible leadership progress can come quickly.

As new Palestinian institutions and new leaders emerge, demonstrating real performance on security and reform, I expect Israel to
respond and work toward a final status agreement. With intensive effort by all, this agreement could be reached within three years
from now. And I and my country will actively lead toward that goal.

I can understand the deep anger and anguish of the Israeli people. You've lived too long with fear and funerals, having to avoid
markets and public transportation, and forced to put armed guards in kindergarten classrooms. The Palestinian Authority has
rejected your offer at hand, and trafficked with terrorists. You have a right to a normal life; you have a right to security; and I deeply
believe that you need a reformed, responsible Palestinian partner to achieve that security.

I can understand the deep anger and despair of the Palestinian people. For decades you've been treated as pawns in the Middle
East conflict. Your interests have been held hostage to a comprehensive peace agreement that never seems to come, as your lives
get worse year by year. You deserve democracy and the rule of law. You deserve an open society and a thriving economy. You
deserve a life of hope for your children. An end to occupation and a peaceful democratic Palestinian state may seem distant, but
America and our partners throughout the world stand ready to help, help you make them possible as soon as possible.

If liberty can blossom in the rocky soil of the West Bank and Gaza, it will inspire millions of men and women around the globe who
are equally weary of poverty and oppression, equally entitled to the benefits of democratic government.

I have a hope for the people of Muslim countries. Your commitments to morality, and learning, and tolerance led to great historical
achievements. And those values are alive in the Islamic world today. You have a rich culture, and you share the aspirations of men
and women in every culture. Prosperity and freedom and dignity are not just American hopes, or Western hopes. They are universal,
human hopes. And even in the violence and turmoil of the Middle East, America believes those hopes have the power to transform
lives and nations.

This moment is both an opportunity and a test for all parties in the Middle East: an opportunity to lay the foundations for future
peace; a test to show who is serious about peace and who is not. The choice here is stark and simple. The Bible says, "I have set
before you life and death; therefore, choose life." The time has arrived for everyone in this conflict to choose peace, and hope, and
life.

2) Full performance will be a condition for progress between phases and for
progress within phases. The first condition for progress will be the
complete cessation of terror, violence and incitement. Progress between
phases will come only following the full implementation of the preceding
phase. Attention will be paid not to timelines, but to performance
benchmarks (timelines will serve only as reference points).

3) The emergence of a new and different leadership in the Palestinian
Authority within the framework of governmental reform; this is a condition
for progress to the second phase of the plan. New elections for the
Palestinian Legislative Council.

4) The Monitoring mechanism will be under American management.

5) The character of the provisional PA state will be determined through
negotiations between the Palestinian Authority and Israel. The provisional
state will have provisional borders and certain aspects of sovereignty. It
will be fully demilitarized, will have only police and internal security
forces of limited scope and armaments, and will not have authority to
undertake defense alliances or military cooperation. Israel will control
the entry and exit of all persons and cargo, as well as of its air space
and electromagnetic spectrum.

6) Declared references must be made to Israel's right to exist as a Jewish
state and to the waiver of any right of return for Palestinian refugees to
the State of Israel.

7) The end of the process will lead to the end of all claims, and not only
the end of the conflict.

8) The future settlement will be reached through agreement and direct
negotiations between the two parties, in accordance with the vision
outlined by President Bush in his 24 June address.

9) There will be no involvement with issues pertaining to the final
settlement. Among issues not to be discussed: settlement in Judea, Samaria
and Gaza (excluding a settlement freeze and illegal outposts), the status
of the Palestinian Authority and its institutions in Jerusalem, and all
other matters whose substance relates to the final settlement.

10) The removal of references to UN Resolution 1397, the Saudi Initiative
and the Arab Initiative adopted in Beirut. A settlement based upon the
Roadmap will be an autonomous settlement that is valid on its own. The only
possible reference should be to Resolutions 242 and 338, and then only as
an outline for the conduct of future negotiations on a permanent settlement.

11) Promotion of the reform process in the Palestinian Authority: a
transitional Palestinian constitution will be composed, a Palestinian legal
infrastructure will be constructed and cooperation with Israel in this
field will be renewed. In the economic sphere: international efforts to
rehabilitate the Palestinian economy will continue. In the financial
sphere: the American-Israeli-Palestinian agreement will be implemented in
full as a condition for the continued transfer of tax revenues.

12) The deployment of IDF forces along the September 2000 lines will be
subject to the absolute quiet noted above, and will be carried out in
keeping with the new circumstances and needs.

13) Subject to security conditions, Israel will work to restore Palestinian
life to normal: promote an improved economic situation, cultivation of
commercial connections, encouragement and assistance for the activities of
recognized humanitarian agencies. No reference will be made to the
Bertini Report as a binding source document within the framework of the
humanitarian issue.

14) Arab states will assist the process through the condemnation of
terrorist activity. No link will be established between the Palestinian
track and other tracks (Syrian-Lebanese).

The Council of the League of Arab States at the Summit Level, at its 14th
Ordinary Session:

- Reaffirming the resolution taken in June 1996 at the Cairo
extraordinary Arab Summit that a just and comprehensive peace in the
Middle East is the strategic option of the Arab countries, to be
achieved in accordance with international legality, and which would
require a comparable commitment on the part of the Israeli
Government;

- Having listened to the statement made by His Royal Highness Prince
Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia, in which His Highness presented his initiative, calling for full
Israeli withdrawal from all the Arab territories occupied since June 1967,
in implementation of Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338,
reaffirmed by the Madrid Conference of 1991 and the land for peace
principle; and for Israel's acceptance of an independent Palestinian
State, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in return for the
establishment of normal relations in the context of a comprehensive
peace with Israel;

- Emanating from the conviction of the Arab countries that a military
solution to the conflict will not achieve peace or provide security for
the parties, the Council:

1. Requests Israel to reconsider its policies and declare that a just peace
is its strategic option as well.

2. Further calls upon Israel to affirm:

a. Full Israeli withdrawal from all the territories occupied since
1967, including the Syrian Golan Heights to the lines of June 4,
1967, as well as the remaining occupied Lebanese territories in
the south of Lebanon.

c. The acceptance of the establishment of a Sovereign
Independent Palestinian State on the Palestinian territories
occupied since the 4th of June 1967 in the West Bank and Gaza
strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

3. Consequently, the Arab Countries affirm the following:

a. Consider the Arab-Israeli conflict ended, and enter into a
peace agreement with Israel, and provide security for all the
states of the region.

b. Establish normal relations with Israel in the context of this
comprehensive peace.

4. Assures the rejection of all forms of Palestinian patriation which conflict
with the special circumstances of the Arab host countries.

5. Calls upon the Government of Israel and all Israelis to accept this
initiative in order to safeguard the prospects for peace and stop the
further shedding of blood, enabling the Arab countries and Israel to live in
peace and good neighborliness and provide future generations with
security, stability, and prosperity.

6. Invites the international community and all countries and organizations
to support this initiative.

7. Requests the Chairman of the Summit to form a special committee
composed of some of its concerned member states and the Secretary
General of the League of Arab States to pursue the necessary contacts to
gain support for this initiative at all levels, particularly from the United
Nations, the Security Council, the United States of America, the Russian
Federation, the Muslim States and the European Union.

PROGRESS REPORT OF THE UNITED NATIONS
MEDIATOR
CREATION OF A CONCILIATION COMMISSION

Resolution Adopted by the General Assembly on 11
December 1948
(186th Plenary Meeting)

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

HAVING CONSIDERED FURTHER the situation in
Palestine,

1. EXPRESSES its deep appreciation of the progress
achieved through the good offices of the late United
Nations Mediator in promoting a peaceful adjustment of
the future situation of Palestine, for which cause he
sacrificed his life; and

EXTENDS its thanks to the Acting Mediator and his staff
for their continued efforts and devotion to duty in
Palestine;

2. ESTABLISHES a Conciliation Commission consisting
of three States Members of the United Nations which
shall have the following functions:

(a) To assume, in so far as it considers necessary in
existing circumstances, the functions given to the United
Nations Mediator on Palestine by the resolution of the
General Assembly of 14 May 1948;

(b) To carry out the specific functions and directives
given to it by the present resolution and such additional
functions and directives as may be given to it by the
General Assembly or by the Security Council;

(c) To undertake, upon the request of the Security
Council, any of the functions now assigned to the United
Nations Mediator on Palestine or to the United Nations
Truce Commission by resolutions of the Security
Council; upon such request to the Conciliation
Commission by the Security Council with respect to all
the remaining functions of the United Nations Mediator
on Palestine under Security Council resolutions, the
office of the Mediator shall be terminated;

3. DECIDES that a Committee of the Assembly,
consisting of China, France, the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics, the United Kingdom and the United States of
America, shall present, before the end of the first part of
the present session of the General Assembly, for the
approval of the Assembly a proposal concerning the
names of the three States which will constitute the
Conciliation Commission;

4. REQUESTS the Commission to begin its functions at
once, with a view to the establishment of contact
between the parties themselves and the Commission at
the earliest possible date;

5. CALLS UPON the Governments and authorities
concerned to extend the scope of the negotiations
provided for in the Security Council's resolution of 16
November 1948 and to seek agreement by negotiations
conducted either with the Conciliation Commission or
directly with a view to the final settlement of all questions
outstanding between them;

6. INSTRUCTS the Conciliation Commission to take
steps to assist the Governments and authorities
concerned to achieve a final settlement of all questions
outstanding between them;

7. RESOLVES that the Holy Places - including Nazareth -,
religious buildings and sites in Palestine should be
protected and free access to them assured, in
accordance with existing rights and historical practice;
that arrangements to this end should be under effective
United Nations supervision; that the United Nations
Conciliation Commission, in presenting to the fourth
regular session of the General Assembly its detailed
proposal for a permanent international regime for the
territory of Jerusalem, should include recommendations
concerning the Holy Places in that territory; that with
regard to the Holy Places in the rest of Palestine the
Commission should call upon the political authorities of
the areas concerned to give appropriate formal
guarantees as to the protection of the Holy Places and
access to them; and that these undertakings should be
presented to the General Assembly for approval;

8. RESOLVES that, in view of its association with three
world religions, the Jerusalem area, including the
present municipality of Jerusalem plus the surrounding
villages and towns, the most Eastern of which shall be
Avu Dis; the most Southern, Bethlehem; the most
Western, Ein Karim (including also the built-up area of
Motsa); and the most Northern Shufat, should be
accorded special and separate treatment from the rest of
Palestine and should be placed under effective United
Nations control;

REQUESTS the Security Council to take further steps to
ensure the demilitarization of Jerusalem at the earliest
possible date;

INSTRUCTS the Conciliation Commission to present to
the fourth regular session of the General Assembly
detailed proposals for a permanent international regime
for the Jerusalem area which will provide for the
maximum local autonomy for distinctive groups
consistent with the special international status of the
Jerusalem area;

The Conciliation Commission is authorized to appoint a
United Nations representatives who shall cooperate with
the local authorities with respect to the interim
administration of the Jerusalem area;

9. RESOLVES that, pending agreement on more detailed
arrangements among the Governments and authorities
concerned, the freest possible access to Jerusalem by
road, rail or air should be accorded to all inhabitants of
Palestine;

INSTRUCTS the Conciliation Commission to report
immediately to the Security Council, for appropriate
action by that organ, any attempt by any party to impede
such access;

10. INSTRUCTS the Conciliation Commission to seek
arrangements among the Governments and authorities
concerned which will facilitate the economic
development of the area, including arrangements for
access to ports and airfields and the use of
transportation and communication facilities;

11. RESOLVES that the refugees wishing to return to
their homes and live at peace with their neighbours
should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable
date, and that compensation should be paid for the
property of those choosing not to return and for loss of
or damage to property which, under principles of
international law or in equity, should be made good by
the Governments or authorities responsible;

INSTRUCTS the Conciliation Commission to facilitate the
repatriation, resettlement and economic and social
rehabilitation of the refugees and the payment of
compensation, and to maintain close relations with the
Director of the United Nations Relief for Palestine
Refugees and, through him, with the appropriate organs
and agencies of the United Nations;

12. AUTHORIZES the Conciliation Commission to
appoint such subsidiary bodies and to employ such
technical experts, acting under its authority, as it may
find necessary for the effective discharge of its functions
and responsibilities under the present resolution;

The Conciliation Commission will have its official
headquarters at Jerusalem. The authorities responsible
for maintaining order in Jerusalem will be responsible for
taking all measures necessary to ensure the security of
the Commission. The Secretary-General will provide a
limited number of guards for the protection of the staff
and premises of the Commission;

13. INSTRUCTS the Conciliation Commission to render
progress reports periodically to the Secretary-General
for transmission to the Security Council and to the
Members of the United Nations;

14. CALLS UPON all Governments and authorities
concerned to cooperate with the Conciliation
Commission and to take all possible steps to assist in
the implementation of the present resolution;

15. REQUESTS the Security-General to provide the
necessary staff and facilities and to make appropriate
arrangements to provide the necessary funds required
in carrying out the terms of the present resolution.